By DONALD WELLINGTON

Kenya’s recent golf bronze medalists from the Youth Olympic Games, Africa qualifier in Botswana in May 2014, Adel Balala (Nyali Golf) and Mary Monari (Rose Naliaka Academy) leave Friday (11 July 2014) for the Junior Open championships 2014, to be held at West Lancashire Golf Club in the United Kingdom.
Founded in 1994, the Junior Open came under The R&A administrative umbrella in 2000. Staged every two years, the event is closely linked to The Open Championship and played on a nearby course. All golfing nations affiliated to The R&A are invited to enter their best under 16 boy and girl golfers on 1 January in the year of the event.

The 54-hole strokeplay will start on Monday 14 July until Wednesday, 16 July after which the juniors will visit The 143rd Open Championships at Royal Liverpool, Hoylake – the most coveted trophy (the Claret Jug) in the game and one of the most iconic in all of sport.
The Junior Open is both a scratch and handicap event – all competitors will play 36 holes with the leading 80 and ties (gross) qualifying to play the third round. Prizes in the regional categories are awarded on the best nett score over 36 holes. In 2012, the field was 123 competitors from 68 nations.
The 15-year old Balala, (handicap 3) is currently a student at Tuks Sports High School in Pretoria, South Africa. He has represented the national golf team from the age of 13 years and is a member of the Kenya junior team since 2013, playing in the Africa Junior Challenge in Mauritius, Zimbabwe and Zambia and the Italian Under 16 golf championships last year.
Mary Monari, just turned 16 years of age, was a member of the victorious national side that defended the biennial Gilberson & Page Trophy at Muthaiga in 2013. Playing off 6 handicap, Mary was also in the winning team of the Lisle Shaw (Inter School Trophy) and the Nancy Millar Trophy at Karen She was placed second in both the Karen Junior Open and the Royal Nairobi Junior Championships last year. She is a Class 8 student at Malezi Academy.
The best boy to represent Kenya is selected at the Annual Boys Championships in August in the year preceeding the Junior Open – the winner of the Under 16 trophy- whilst the girls had a qualifying event at Windsor Golf and Country Club earlier this year.
A once in a lifetime experience, the players will be accompanied by Junior Golf Foundation (JGF) Trustee Christina Engell Andersen as the official delegate/chaperone. Andersen participated in the 2002 Junior Open winning the Africa Trophy. nike air max cheap uk mens nike air max cheap uk mens

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